Brim pouncing machine



sept. 7, 1937. B, D, WELLS 2,092,486

BRIM POUNCING MACHINE Filed June ll, 1935 /ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 7, 1937 PATENT OFFICE ERIM POUNCING MACHINE Hurling D. Wells, Danbury, Conn., assignor to The Mallory Hat Company, Danbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application June 11,

9 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for pouncing a hat and more particularly to a hat brim pouncing machine.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a hat brim pouncing machine which is simple and inexpensive in construction and thoroughly eflicient and practical in operation. Another object is `to provide a machine of the above nature which may be inexpensively operated Without any.` great degree of skill. Another object is to provide a construction of the above nature which rapidly and thoroughly pounces the brim of a hat leaving the surface clean and free of the abraded fur particles. Another object is to provide a machine of the above naturewhich can readily accommodate hats, the brims of which vary in width and thickness. Another object is to provide a machine of the above nature which is conducive to the health of the operator and which may be operated without danger of injury. Another object is to provide a machine of the above nature in which the hat brim is uniformly fed during the pouncing thereof. Another object is to provide a machine of the above nature which is thoroughly reliable and durable under conditions of rigorous use. Other objects will be in part `apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of.v construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, as will be exemplied in the structure to be hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of this invention,

Figure 1 is a vertical elevation of my brim pouncing machine, certain parts thereof being broken away and certain parts thereof being shown in section;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic front elevation of certain parts of my machine;

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation taken along the line 3 3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken along the line i--li of Figure 1.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of. the drawing.

As conducive to a clearer understanding of certain featuresof this invention, several of the shortcomings of apparatus designed for the same general use Will be described. Many of the mal chines now in use feed the brim of the hat 1935, serial No. 25,984

through the pouncing rolls much too rapidly and accordingly the hat must be held back manually until the pouncer can complete this operation on the various portions of the brim. Thus the laborer is not only called upon to hold the hat in `proper position and guide it between the rolls but also he must hold the hat back and this takes considerable strength as he must pull against the action of the machine. This retarding operation is useless and trying on the laborer, not only adding to his discomfort but ultimately decreasing his efficiency. Furthermore the usual function of such apparatus is to remove small particles of fur from the brim of. the hat and these p-articles have a tendency to fly up and about the vicinity of the pouncing rolls. Many of these particles drop back upon the brim of the hat and many machines now in use, especially where sandpaper and brim travel in the same direction where they are in contact, tend to grind such particles back into the brim of the hat thus filling the surface thereof With very fine dust, resulting in anunattractive and inferior product. One of the objects of this invention is to provide apparatus which overcomes the above-mentioned difficulties as Well as many others.

Referring` now to Figure 1, a machine casing generally indicated at I0 supports a pair of drive shafts II and I2, shaft I2 being borne in a housing Illa projecting upwardly from the casing. The angle between the axes of. shafts II and I2 is preferably acute to permit registry of the surfaces of a conical feed and support drum I3 and a conical pouncing drum I4, these drums being respectively mounted on shafts II and l2. Support and feed drum I3 is preferably covered with soft rubber |301. (Figure 2) and pouncing drum I4 (Figure 1) has an abrading surface such as a detachable piece of sandpaper Illa, these drums being operatively related to receive therebetween and pounce the brim of hat A. Surrounding substantially the upper portion of pouncing drum I4, I preferably provide an exhaust hood 55 (Figures 1 and 2) which receives and disposes of material abraded from. the surface of. the hat brim. To assist the feeding action of drum I3, I have provided an idler generally indicated at I5 (Figures 1 and 2) which forces the brim of the hat against the drum I3 in a manner to be described hereinafter.

More specically,. shaft II (Figure 1) is rotatably mounted in bearing portions I 6a, |61), and Ic of a bracket generally indicated at I6. A gear Il is secured to shaft I I and meshes with a relatively smaller gear I8 mounted on a shaft 20.

Gears Il and I8 are preferably mounted in a gear casing I3 into which extends shaft 25, this shaft being driven by a motor ZI mounted in a motor housing 22. Motor housing 22 and gear casing I9 preferably are integral parts of bracket I6. Thus motor ZI drives shaft II and accordingly feed drum I3 at a speed lower than that of the motors speed due to the reduction provided by gears I'I and I8.

Bracket I5 includes an arm or projection 23 which is pivotally mounted on a stud 24. A thrust collar is mounted on shaft II adjacent drum I3 and is preferably connected to a foot pedal 26 by means of a link 2`I, foot pedal 25 being pivotally secured to a support 28. Accordingly, upon manipulation of foot pedal 25, bracket I6 and its contents, shaft II and drum I3 are pivoted about the axis of pin 24 to effect movement of feed drum I3 toward or away from pouncing drum I4, and this for the purpose of facilitating the placing of a hat brim between the drums, the removal of the hat brim therefrom, to enable varying operating pressures to be exerted on the hat brim at will, and to permit different feed rates of the hat brim.

Still referring to Figure 1, shaft I2 which drives pouncing drum I4 is driven by a motor 29 mounted within housing Illa. and the axis of shaft I2 is preferably substantially horizontal. As above noted, drums I3 and III are preferably conical and to bring their surfaces into registry the axis of shaft II is inclined with respect to the axis of shaft I2. Under certain circumstances, it is desirable that drums I3 and I4 be replaced by corresponding drums but having larger or smaller mean diameters.` To provide for the registry of the surfaces of such replacement drums, the angularity of the axis of shaft I I is changed with respect to the axis of shaft I2; also the adjustability of shaft II makes possible the varying of the point of tangency between drums I3 and I4.

To this end, I have provided a substantially U-shaped bracket generally indicated at 3l! through the legs 38a of which the reduced ends 2da (Figure 4) of pin 2,4 extend. The sides 10b and IIIe (Figure 4) of casing I0 are slotted as at 34 (see also Figure 1) and these slots slidably receive reduced ends 24a of pin 24.

The cross piece 35D (Figure 1) of bracket 30 is suitably bored to receive rotatably a screw 3| which projects upwardly from bracket and threadably engages and extends through a nut 32 secured to the top of casing IG. A pair of collars 35 and 33 are secured to screw 3| on opposite sides of cross piece 33h to rotatably secure screw 3I in assembled relation with bracket 33. The upper end of screw 3| has Secured thereto a hand wheel 33 or the like and turning of this wheel in one direction or the other rotates screw 3l to raise or lower bracket 30 which, in turn, raises or lowers the assembly comprising bracket I-, shaft II, and feed drum I3, thus changing the operative axis of the feed drums and bringing the surface thereof in registry with the surface of pouncing drum I4. It will be noted that the outer end of shaft II pivots about pin 27a which secures link 2`I and collar 25 in pivotal relation. Accordingly, when the end of shaft II, which is borne in bracket I6, is raised by manipulation of hand wheel 33, the end of the shaft on which feed drum I3 is mounted is lowered. Thus, it is possible to use feed and pouncing drums of practically any desired size. From this it follows that hat brims of practically any size may be pounced.

Idler I5 (Figure 3) preferably comprises a soft rubber coating 31 mounted on a conical drum 38 having bores 39 and 40. A bell crank lever generally indicated at 4I (Figure 1) includes an arm 4m and an arm 4Ib. Arm Illa (Figure 3) is suitably bored to receive a spindle generally indicated at 42, this spindle being secured within arm Ia preferably by means of a set screw 43. Spindle 42 includes a conical portion 44 the end 45 of which is reduced. A pair of anti-friction bearings 46 and 4l are mounted respectively on reduced end 45 of spindle 42 and on the portion of the spindle adjacent conical portion 44. Bearings 45 and "Il are respectively received in bores 3Q and 4Q of conical roller 38 and these bearings in addition to spindle 42 are retained in assembled relation with roller 35 by means of a plug 43 screwed into a threaded portion of bore 4I). As may be more clearly seen in Figure 1, bell crank lever 4I is pivotally mounted on a pin 49 which is secured to a boss or lug 5I] projecting from housing IIJa.

A tension spring 5I is secured at its opposite ends respectively to arm IIb of bell crank lever 4I and to a pin 52 projecting from casing I0. Spring 5I urges idler I5 downwardly against feed drum I3, the downward bias of the idler preferably beingi limited by a stop screw 53 threadably related to arm 4Ib of bell crank lever 4I and extending therethrough toward casing I0. Stop screw 53 may be adjusted to determine the extent of downward movement of idler I5 and a lock nut 54 maintains this adjustment. The downward movement of idler I5 is also controlled by the downward movement of feed drum I3 upon releaseof foot pedal 26. .Iowever, the distance of downward movement of feed drum I3 is controlled by a stop 28a on sup-port 28 and this distance is preferably in excess of the extent of downward movement of idler' I 5. Accordingly, upon separation of drums I3 and I4 either to place a hat brim therebetween or remove a hat brim therefrom, feed drum I3 is out of contact with idler I5 and the hat accordingly can be easily handled.

It should also be noted that when drums I3 and I4 are replaced by drums having different mean diameters, it may be necessary also to replace idler I5. This change may be readily accomplished by loosening set screw 43 (Figure 3) and sliding the whole idler unit out of the bore in arm Mai of bell crank lever 4I.

As pointed out above, support and feed drum I 3 is provided with a rubber surface I3a while pouncing drum I4 has a sandpaper cover Ilia. The coefficients of friction of rubber and sandpaper, for example, are considerably different and this phenomenon is utilized in effecting the feed of the hat brim during the pouncing thereof.

With reference to Figure 2, it will be noted that while feed drum I3 and pouncing drum I4 both. preferably revolve in a clockwise direction, as indicated by the arrows, the surfaces of each drum which contact opposite sides of the hat brim are moving in opposite directions. Fur thermore, through the gear reduction provided by gears Il' and I3 (Figure l) feed drum I3 (Figure 2) revolves at a substantially lower rate as, for example, 1GO R. P. M. than pouncing drum It which rotates, for example, at 2500 R. P. M.

The superior friction of the soft rubber coat* P ing Illa on feed drum I3 (Figure 2) against the felt hat brim enables support and feed drum I-'J to control the rate of feed of the brim under pouncing drum III. The downward bias of idler I5 increases the adhesion of the hat brim to the support drum thus making the driving effect thereof sufficiently strong to feed the hat brim uniformly against the retarding action of pouncing drum I4. Y

It is preferable that drums I3 and I4 rotate in the same direction rather than drum I3 rotating clockwise and pouncing drum I4 rotating counterclockwise. If pouncing drum I4 rotates counterclockwise, the hat brim becomes very dirty and this because a certain proportion of the felt cut off by the pouncing drum follows the drum around instead of being sucked into exhaust hood 55 and falls on the hat or adheres to the pouncing drum. This felt thence passes between the drums again and is reduced to still ner dust and rolled into the hat brim.` By rotating pouncing drum I4 in clockwise direction, the material `abraded from the brim surface which is not sucked through exhaust hood 55, falls on the processed portion of the brim which does not immediately again pass between the drums. Such loose material accordingly is not reduced to still finer dust and rolled into the hat brim but merely lies loosely thereon in such a manner that it may be readily b-rushed or blown off.

It should further be noted that clockwise rotation of pouncing drum I4, in addition to leaving the hat brim much cleaner, lays the nap thereof down in the same direction as the nap on the crown of the hat, does not distort the hat brim by unduly stretching it, and can be operated at a much higher speed than a pouncing drum which revolves in a counterclockwise direction. This effects more rapid and efficient brim pouncing. If pouncing drum I4 revolved in a counterclockwise direction, it would also assist the feeding action of feed drum I3 rather than retard such feeding action which, in turn, might necessitate passing the hat brim between the drums many more times than necessary when drum I4 revolves clockwise and which further might result in a non-uniform feed rate of the hat brim.

Preferably a hand rest and guard 5B (Figures 1 and 2) is positioned adjacent the surface of feed drum I3 (Figure 2) and issecured to housing `Ia (Figure 1). The provision of hand rest and guard 56` enables the operator to rest his hand near the drums and permits accurate feeding of the hat brim between the drums while materially lessening the danger of injury to the operators hands.

Accordingly it will be seen that I have provided a hat brim pouncing machine in which the several objects referred to hereinabove in addition to many others are achieved in a thoroughly practical and efficient manner.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a hat brim pouncing machine or the like, in combination, rotatable means adapted to support and feed the brim of a hat, rotatable means `operatively related to said support means for pouncing said hat brim, an idler member, means urging said idler member toward said support means to force said hat brim thereagainst, means for changing the angle of the operative axis of said support means with respect to the axis of said pouncing means, and driving means for rotating said support `means and said pouncing means. i

2. In a hat brim pouncing machine, in combination, a rotatable pouncing drum,`a rotatable support-and feed drum, said drums being adapted to receive a hat brim therebetween and to feed and pounce said brim, anidler member operatively related to said feed drum, means biasing said idler toward said feed drum and means positively limiting the bias of said idler member toward said feed drum whereby the bias of said idler member may be varied at will.

3. In a. hat pouncing machine, in combination, a support, a pair of frusto-conical members rotatably mounted in said support, the surfaces of said members having different coefficients of friction, means for rotating said members, and a freely rotatable idler element rotatably associated with one of said members.

4. In a hat pouncing machine, in combination, a support, a pair of members rotatably mounted on said support, means for rotating said members, a freely rotatable idler element operatively associated with one of said members, and resilient means biasing said idler element toward one of said members.

5. In a hat pouncing machine, in combination, a casing, a shaft rotatably mounted in said casing, a pouncing drum mounted on said shaft, driving means disposed in said casing for rotating said shaft, a bracket movably disposed in said casing, a shaft journaled in said bracket, a pouncing drum mounted on said second-mentioned shaft adjacent said first-mentioned pouncing drum, and means in said bracket for rotating said second-mentioned shaft in the same direction of rotation with respect to said first-mentioned shaft and at a reduced speed with respect thereto.

6. In a hat pouncing machine, in combination, a casing, a shaft rotatably mounted in said casing, a pouncing drum mounted on said shaft, driving means disposed in said casing for rotating said shaft, a bracket movably disposed in said casing, a shaft journaled in said bracket, a pouncing drum mounted on said second-mentioned shaft adjacent said first-mentioned pouncing drum, means in said bracket for rotating said second-mentioned shaft in the same direction of rotation with respect to said rstmentioned shaft and at a reduced speed with respect thereto, and means for moving said bracket to vary at will the position of the axis of said second-mentioned shaft with respect to the axis of said first-mentioned shaft.

7. In a hat pouncing machine, in combination, a casing, a pair of pouncing members rotatably mounted in said casing, said members having their axes of rotation out of parallelism, and means in said casing for driving one of said pouncing members, said means including a motor and a train of reduction gears, said motor and said gears being vertically movable as a unit to vary at will the inclination of the axis of said last-mentioned pouncing member with respect to the axis of the other pouncing member.

8. In a hat pouncing machine, in combination, a pair of rolls adapted to receive therebetween and pounce the brim of a hat, means for positively driving said rolls, and an idler roll operatively associated with one of said rolls and adapted to force said hat brim against said roll to effect feeding of the hat brim, said idler roll being adapted to rotate only when. in contact with said hat brim.

9. In a hat pouncing machine, in combination, a casing, a pair of pouncing members rotatabiy mounted in said casing and having nonparallel axes of rotation, a motor mounted on said casing for driving one of said members, a second motor mounted on said casing and operatively connected to the other of said members, and means for varying at will the inclination of the axis of one of said members with respect to the axis of the other of said members.

BURLING D. WELLS. 

